North Korea lashed out at US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday for calling the Communist country an "outpost of tyranny" and ruled out new talks over its nuclear ambitions.

"It is inconceivable for the DPRK (North Korea) to go out for the talks before it is delisted as 'an outpost of tyranny,'" a foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement published by the North's official Korean Central News Agency.

The statement came as Rice headed to the region for talks on how to end a prolonged standoff over North Korea's nuclear weapons drive. Rice arrives in Tokyo tomorrow ahead of visits to Seoul and Beijing.

The spokesman said North Korea was being pressured to expand its nuclear arsenal in the face of US efforts to crush the Stalinist regime, adding that it would only resume talks if Washington dropped its hostile stance towards Pyongyang.

During a stop-off in India on Tuesday, Rice warned North Korea it was becoming increasingly isolated and said Pyongyang's return to six-party talks was the only way to end the standoff.

The North Korean spokesman urged Washington to "behave realistically and wisely if it wishes to resume the six-party talks." Rice's visit to South Korea on Saturday and Sunday coincides with US-South Korean military exercises.

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North Korea ruled out on March 16, 2005 a return to stalled six-way talks on its nuclear weapons programs unless the United States retracted its labeling of Pyongyang as an 'outpost of tyranny.' (Reuters)